Rihanna Earns 2023 Oscar Nomination For ‘Black Panther’ Song ‘Lift Me Up’

The song marked Rihanna’s first new music since the release of her 2016 album “Anti.” It was written by Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems, Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna and “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler as a tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who died in August 2020 after a yearslong battle with colon cancer.

Tems, Göransson and Coogler are also Oscar-nominated for the song.

“After speaking with Ryan and hearing his direction for the film and the song, I wanted to write something that portrays a warm embrace from all the people that I’ve lost in my life,” Tems said in a press release at the time. “I tried to imagine what it would feel like if I could sing to them now and express how much I miss them.”

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” earned a total of five Oscar nominations. In addition to best original song, Angela Bassett earned a best supporting actress nomination for her performance as Queen Ramonda, and the film also earned nominations for best costume design, best makeup and hairstyling, and best visual effects.